Olympic Hockey: Auston Matthews, USA crush Slovakia 6-2 in semi-final, will face Canada in gold medal game

"Slovakia have been one of the better stories of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics from a men's hockey standpoint. After a long rut where they weren't overly competitive on the international stage, the surge they've gotten in recent years from young players like Juraj Slafkovsky, Simon Nemec, and Dalibor Dvorsky has helped them gain notoriety on an international level once again."

"The States continued to pour it on in the second period, with Jack Hughes making it 3-0 a little over halfway into the period. When Eichel made it 4-0 only 19 seconds later, it prompted Slovakia to pull goaltender Samuel Hlavaj and replace him with Stanislav Skorvanek. The States added one more before the period ended, with Jack Hughes finding the back of the net for the second time. Matthew Boldy picked up the assist on the fifth goal."

"The Slovaks pushed back a little bit in the third, with both Slafkovsky and Pavol Regenda finding the back of the net, but a Brady Tkachuk breakaway goal effectively sealed the game for the United States. It was a quiet game from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, who failed to register a point in a game for the first time in the tournament,"

Slovakia's men's hockey team rose from a prolonged international rut into a competitive force thanks to young players Juraj Slafkovsky, Simon Nemec, and Dalibor Dvorsky. Slovakia reached the 2026 Olympic semifinals but fell 6-2 to the United States, sending them to the bronze medal game. Team USA opened scoring early through Dylan Larkin and extended the lead with power-play and second-period goals from Tage Thompson and Jack Hughes, prompting a goaltender change for Slovakia. Slovakia scored twice in the third via Slafkovsky and Pavol Regenda, but a Brady Tkachuk breakaway sealed the win. Auston Matthews was held without a point.

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